Ask Yourself These 4 Questions Before You Quit

Yesterday it was confirmed that superstar Britney
Spears would be quitting her judging gig on The X
Factor after just one season. The news comes
less than two weeks after reports surfaced that she was going to
be fired because the show’s producers felt she didn’t meet the
expectations that came along with her $15 million contract.

The producers are rumored to already have a successor in mind,
and the news is expected to be announced within the next 10 days.
This brings up a really good career conundrum: If you
know you are going to get fired, should you quit or wait for the ax to
fall?

Yes, Britney left the planet of reality pretty much around the
time she decided Kevin Federline was
husband material, but this is still a common situation that can
be applicable to many. Britney probably decided that it was
better to say she quit for her reputation, and it’s not like
money — though The X Factor provided her with
a very lucrative compensation package — is something Britney
really needs. She needs more money like she needs another pair of
pink Ugg boots.

But for most people, even if you are miserable, walking away from
a job and a steady paycheck is very hard. Unless you know for
sure you will get a new job within a month, or can afford to be
out of work for six months to a year, quitting is always a
tougher option. But then again, is it better to look like you
chose to leave the job instead of the other way around?

“It’s always better for your reputation if you resign, because it
makes it look like the decision was yours, not
theirs,” said workplace author, speaker and consultant Alexandra
Levit. “But if you resign, you may not be entitled to the type
of compensation you would receive if you
were fired.”

Though it does sound tempting to say, “I quit! And I never needed
this place anyway!” you should think for a bit first. If you find
yourself in a situation like this, ask yourself these questions
first:

Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Quitting

1. Do I have other job prospects? If you
were already talking with another company and know you are about
to get an offer then okay, but you need to
understand the average time it takes to find a job is six months
or more. Can you afford to be out of work for this
long? “A person who has a job has more leverage,” says Doug
Schade, principal and supervising executive recruiter
for The Winter, Wyman Companies, an executive search
firm in Boston. “Even if there are issues, at least you are
gainfully employed.”

2. How will this be perceived? This depends
on where you are in your career. For an entry-level employee,
getting fired may not be as big a deal as someone at the manager
level. If you are farther along in your career, then resigning
may actually look better. “At the top levels, it’s more of
an insider community, and everyone will know the true story about
why you were let go,” Levit says. “It’s also expected that, as a
seasoned executive, you will possess a certain amount of
competence, and being fired leads people to question that
competence.”

3. Is it actually impacting my mental health to go to
this job every day? Has your behavior changed? Are
you depressed? Can you not sleep? Is it hard to get out of bed in
the morning? If this job is really making you so miserable that it is affecting your
health, then resignation is an option. Still, try to find another
job first.

4. Is there anything you can do so you don’t get
fired? Try to ask your boss about what you can do
to improve your performance. If your employer provides
access to an employee assistance program, use it. You can work
with a career counselor or coach to figure out what is your best
move. Terry Bacon, author of The Elements of
Power and Elements of Influence, told The Daily News, “If
you know you’re going to be fired, turn a lemon into lemonade and
make the best possible transition you can. The worst thing is to
be in denial and pretend it’s not happening.”

Would you quit your job if you felt like you were going
to be fired? Tell us in the comments.